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These Are the Flowing Shapes of a F-35 Lightning II Lurking in the Dark

We got to see the F-35 Lightning II in all sorts of postures since it came to be, mostly because the U.S. Air Force (USAF) does not shy away from advertising its most potent fifth-generation aircraft every chance it gets.
F-35A Lightning II at Hill Air Force Base in Utah 15 photos
Photo: USAF/Capt. Kip Sumner
F-35A Lightning IIs on an elephant walkF-35A Lightning II with the 495th Fighter SquadronF-35A Lightning II at Thunder and Lightning Over ArizonaF-35A Lightning II on vertical ascentF-35 Lightning buzzing the CN TowerF-35A Lighting IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35 LightningF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35A Lightning IIF-35 Lightning cruising subsonic into the sunsetF-35A Lightning II demo team schedule
It usually does this by having airmen snap photos of the beast while flying on all sorts of ops. That's because few things are as spectacular in the military world as a modern fighter aircraft in its natural element. But that also means we don’t get to see details, close-ups of F-35 that could show the plane in an entirely new light.

The photo we have here breaks the norm. Taken at night, it zooms in on the right side of an F-35A Lightning II, showing the flowing lines of the plane’s canopy, wing, backbone, and the center fuselage.

The pic was snapped on the deck of Hill Air Force Base in Utah, in mid-February. The plane, deployed with the 388th Fighter Wing headquartered at the said base, was taxiing for takeoff when a captain holding a Nikon sneaked up behind it and snapped the pic.

The 388th, established back in 1953, is one of the main units fielding F-35s. In fact, it is to this unit that the F-35 demonstration team, which we saw countless times in action over the past year, belongs to.

If photos of the F-35, even detailed ones like we have here, are not enough, you should know the F-35 will continue to be showcased at air shows across America this year. It all started in Laredo, Texas, back in February, and will continue in April at Kingsville in the same state.

In all, the F-35 demonstration team has 20 appearances scheduled this year, with the calendar of events ending in November at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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